Temperature-regulator



(No Mudel.)

L. E. EASTON.

TEMPERATURE REGULATOR.

Patented June 17 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LIYCIEN F. EASTON, OF LA GROSSE, YISCONSIN.

TEM PERATU RE-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,226, dated J' une 17, 1890.

Application filed March 4, 1890. Serial No. 342,579. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUCIEN F. EASTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at La Crosse, in the county of La Crosse and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tempel-ature-Regulators, of which the followingI is a specification.

My invention consists in a temperatureregulating apparatus of novel construction and arrangement, designed to control the telnperature in one apartment or in cach of a series of apartments, as required.

In the annexed drawings, Figure l is a diagrammatic view illustrating the general construction and arrangement of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2, a sectional view of two of the air vents or valves employed therein.

It is important in apparatus of this chai'- acter to provide for producing in each apartment the desired degree of temperature before checking the general heat-supply, as otherwise the supply would be cut off from or checked in the several apartments as soon as the desired temperature should be attained in any one of them.

The manner in which I secure the desired result will be readily understood upon again referring to the drawings, in which A, B, and C indicate apartments in which the temperature is to be controlled, each of said apartments being furnished with a valve, damper, or other device D for controlling the supply of heat thereto.

It will of course be understood that it is immaterial what the character of the heating apparatus or of the controlling valve or damper may be, and that the valves D (represented in the drawings) are merely illustrative of the class, and not meant to indicate any one type to the exclusion of others. In other words, the valves D are to be understood as standing for and representing either registers controlling warm-air iiues, valves controlling the flow of steam or het water, or any other well-known device for controlling the heat-supply or ventilation, or the combination of any 0r all such different devices.

Connected with each of the valves or devices D is a movable diaphragm or a piston a, forming one wall of the shell or chamber of a regulator l, there being a separate regulator for each valve. From the shell or chamber of each regulator E a pipe l) passes to an exhausting apparatus of an y convenient sort, represented in the drawings in the form of an aspirator F. This well-known device consists, essentially, of a tube through which water flows longitudinally, the bore of the tube being contracted at the point where the pipe b communicates with it. Each pipe Z) connects independently with exhaust apparatus, and each is furnished with an air-vent c, conveniently formed by an open-ended branch pipe b.

Directly opposite the vent or mouth of each branch pipe b is a valve plate or disk d, carried by thc free end of a compound bar G, or other common form of thermostat, so arranged as to cover and seal the vent c whenever the temperature of the apartment falls so low as to cause a sufiicient movement of the bar G in that direction.

So long as the vent c of any one of the pipes h remains open or unsealed the aspirator E of that apartment will merely draw air through said vent, and the diaphragm or piston of the regulator E, with which said Vent communicates, being unaffected by the suction of its aspirator l, will fall, either by reason of its weight or that of the valve D, with which it is connected, and cause the closing of the valve and the consequent cutting off of the l heat-supply. \Vhen, however, the temperature falls below the predetermined limit, the bar Gr will carry the plate or disk (I against the end of pipe h', seal the vent c, and cause the aspirator F to exhaust the air from chamber of regulator E, thereby drawing in the diaphragm or piston a and opening the valve l). In this way a due heatsupply will be admitted.

It will be observed that each of the thermostats G acts independently of the others, and that as a consequence the temperature of each apartment is independently regulated and controlled.

\Vhen all the apartments reach the prescribed limit of temperature, it is desirable to check the fire, and for this purpose I provide another aspirator or exhauster H, which communicates by a pipe l with each of a series of vents, one controlled b v each of the pipes b.

IOO

Between the pipeI and each of the pipes b there is placed an air valve or vent J of the construction illustrated in Fig. 2, said vents serving, when opened, to admit air to pipe I, but at no time admitting air to the pipes t. As shown in said Fig. 2, each air valve or vent J consists of' a shell having a flexible diaphragm e, dividingr it into two chambers or compartments, the upper 011e communicating with one of the pipes l) and the lower communicating with pipe I.

The diaphragm c of each air valve or vent J is normally pressed against and made to seal the mouth of the pipe f, by which communication is established between the lower chamber or compartment of the valve casing or shell and pipe I by a spring K, so that air cannot enter pipe I through said valve or vent until the diaphragm is lifted off the mouth of pipef. Vhen, however, the vent c in any 011e of the apartments A Il Cis sealed, the aspirator F of that apartment first cxhausts the air from the chamber of regulator E and opens valve D, and then by its further action exhausts the air from the shell or casing of the air valve orvent J belonging to said apartment,causing its diaphragm to rise in opposition to spring K and to unseal the mouth of pipe f, thus permitting air to pass through said pipe into pipe I, and thence to exhauster or aspirator H, the air entering the shells J throughinlets g. It is obvious that the exhauster F may be made to open the ventvalve to the pipe I before opening the valve or register D for the admission of heat to the room, and in case of an indirect radiator of a steam-heating apparatus such action is preferable. So long therefore as the temperature in any apartment remains low enough to necessitate the opening of the warm-air-supply valve the pipe I will be vented.

Vhenever the temperature is raised to the prescribed limitin all the apartments, all the vents c will be opened, and consequently the diaphragm c of all the air-valves J will be seated by their springs upon the pipes or airinlets f, thereby preventing the admission of air to pipe I and enabling the aspirator or exhauster H to exhaust the air therefrom.

L indicates a regulator of the same general type as the regulators E, and, like them, provided with a flexible diaphragm or piston 7L, which is connected either directly or indirectly with a check, valve, or damper M, for checking the fire of the furnace, boiler, or heter supplying heat to the apartments A B The aspirator or exhauster 1I, by exhausting the air from above the diaphragm or piston h, causes it to be drawn in, and thereby to open the check or close the draft, or both, and thereby to check the fire.

In Fig. l I have shown the regulator-diaphragm h combined with an ordinary steamregulating diaphragm; but it is manifestly immaterial what particular form of check or draft apparatus be employed, such being Well known and commonly used in a variety of forms, of which I have illustrated one.

\Vl1enever the temperature of any one of the apartments A, B, or C again falls so low as to cause the closing of its vent c, its aspirator F will first act upon the piston or (,liaphragm of its regulator E and open the warm-air valve l), thereby admitting a supply sullicient to restore the temperature to its proper point. If this requires only a brief opening, the action may take place without affecting the air valve or vent J of the particular regulator E actuated; but if the heatsupply is not such as to speedily restore the temperature the suction in pipe b will become sufficient to raise the diaphragm e of the air valve or vent J, thereby admitting air to pipe I, destroying the vacuum in regulator or chamber L, and permitting its diaphragm or piston to drop, and thereby close or permit the closing of check M, the opening of the draft, or both.

The apparatus is very simple and cheap in construction and is efficient and sensitive in action.

It will be seen that the springs K may be omitted; but if this be done the diaphragm e should be made heavy enough to close by gravity when relieved from suction above them. So, too, the several regulators E may all connect with a single exhauster or exhausted chamber, or the separate exhausters and the air-vents may be grouped at a common point.

AlthoughI have described and shown opening of registers or valves by vacuum and the closing of some by gravity or springs, it is obvious that this action may be reversed, it only being necessary to arrange the thermostat G so that an increase of temperature in the apartments will cause the closing of vent C. rl`he action of the exhauster II must then be reversed, so as to cause an increase of combustion in the heat-generator when the valves or registers are opened by spring or weight. This modification is preferable in the regulation of' hot-air furnaces; but in steam the vacuum should close the furnace-drafts, and when the vacuum is destroyed the ordinary well-known steam-regulator operates to carry the desired steam-pressure.

llaving thus described my invention, I claiml. In combination with two or more apartments, each provided with a valve for controlling the supply of heat, regulators-one for each apartment-each comprising a shell and a movable diaphragm or piston and suitable connections between the diaphragm or piston and the valve, exhausting apparatus connected separately with each of the regulators, an air-vent for each regulator, a thermostatic valve controlling each of said vents, a valve or damper for controlling the generation of heat, a regulator having a diaphragm or piston connected with said valve or damper, a pipe extending from said regulator to an ICO IIO

exhausting apparatus, and air valves or vents opening into said pipe, and each having a valve subject to the suction controlling the regulators in the several apartments, whereby the valves controlling the admission of heat to the apartments are opened or closed, as required, and the generation of heat is checked whenever all the apartments reach the predetermined temperature and increased when any apartment falls below a predetermined limit.

2. In combination with a heat-supply valve, and a regulator connected with and serving to control the same, an air-vent opening into said regulator, a thermostatic valve controlling said vent, an exhauster communicating with said regulator, a heat-generator, a valve or damper controlling the generation of heat, a second regulator connected with the generator valve or damper, an exhauster communicating with the regulator of the generator valve or damper, and an air-valve for admitting air to said regulator When open, said valve being subject to the suction upon the heat-supply valve, whereby the heat-supply valve and the generatonvalvc are operated successively.

In a temperature-regulating apparatus, the combination, with a heat-generator and a valve or damper controlling the generation of heat therein, of a regulator, substantially such as described, connected with and controlling the adjustment of said valve or damper, an exhauster communicating with the regulator, an air valve or vent also communicating with said regulator, and a thermostatieally-controlled device located in the apartment in which the temperature is to be regulated, and serving to control the opening and closing of said air valve or vent.

4. In a temperature-regulating apparatus, the combination of a heat-generator, a valve controlling the generation of heat therein, aheat-supply valve for controlling vthe admission of heat to an apartment, independent regulators for said valves, each connected with exhausting apparatus, and an air valve or vent adapted to be opened by the exhaust or suction upon the heat-supply regulator, and serving when opened to admit air to the generator-regulator.

5. 'lhe herein-described. air valve or vent for temperature-regulators, consisting of a shell provided with a exible diaphragm e, pipe or outlet f, and inlets y.

(i. In combination with a shell open at one side for communication with an exhauster, a pipe or outlctf and inlets g at the opposite side of the shell, an intermediate flexible diaphragm c, and a spring K, bearing upon the diaphragm and tending to press the same upon the mouth ot' the outletf.

7. Two or more expansible and contractible chambers, each operating, by such contraction or expansion, one or more valves, dampers, dac., an exhausting apparatus, and an air-inlet communicating with each of the said expansible and contractible chambers, a thermal valve controlling each of said inlets, a second expansible and contractible chamber communicating with each of said exhausters, a valve operated by each of said expansible and contractible chambers, each of said valves serving to control an air-inlet to another expansible and contractible chamber, said lastnamed chamber operating the valves, dampers, &c., of a heat-generator, and having an exhauster in communication with it.

In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence ot` two witnesses.

LUCIEN F. IASTON. Witnesses:

W. E. LooxERBv, 1I. LExIUs. 

